At the urging of Richard Cardinal Cushing, 波士顿大主教, the Jesuit Superior General in Rome approves a request that 电子游戏软件 open a school of nursing to meet a growing need to staff Catholic hospitals and clinics. In a letter to the Jesuit provincial, BC President William Keleher, S.J., sums up the archbishop’s stance: “He will not take ‘no.’”

The 电子游戏软件 School of Nursing officially begins classes at 电子游戏软件 Intown Center, housed at 126 Newbury Street. Led by Dean Mary Ann Maher, the school’s first class is made up of 35 “graduate nurses” who have already completed two-year training programs. Several of these women enroll on the G.I. Bill after serving as nurses in World War II. 

Twenty-seven high school graduates join the baccalaureate program. Students embark on clinical placements at hospitals in Boston, 洛厄尔, 福尔河, 伍斯特, 和斯普林菲尔德, commuting to Chestnut Hill once a week for labs in chemistry and biology. Barred from writing for 的高度 because of their gender, they founded their own newspaper, 的Co-Edition.

The school’s first full-time 教师 member, Rita Kelleher, is appointed its second dean. Beloved for her advocacy for nurses and women—and her regular 教师-student teas—Kelleher steers the school through its formative years.

Thirty-three graduate nurses walk at Commencement, becoming the school’s first graduates. 不包括在BC 子Turri yearbook, 学生 begin to publish their own yearbook—Camillian, named for Camillus de Lellis, patron saint of nurses. 

The School of Nursing’s first four male 学生 graduates from the two-year Graduate Nurse program.

The School of Nursing establishes its master’s program. 

The school moves into a new building on the Chestnut Hill Campus, named Cushing Hall in honor of a record-setting donation from Cardinal Cushing.

Rita Kelleher steps down as dean after 20 years of service. Reflecting on the school’s progress, she tells 高度: “They keep saying that there is something different about our 学生. I believe that it is their commitment to nursing.” She continues to teach at BC until 1973. 

电子游戏软件 becomes the first Jesuit university to offer a Ph.D. 护理专业. 

The school’s library outgrows its home on the top floor of Cushing Hall and moves to O’Neill Library. Today, the collection houses more than 60,000 books.

 The School of Nursing’s 全球 Health Initiative begins with a service trip to Ecuador. 从那时起, hundreds of nursing 学生 have gone on clinical service trips to countries including Chile, the Dominican Republic, 法国, 海地, 尼加拉瓜, 和瑞士. 

The school is renamed the William F. 康奈尔大学 School of Nursing (CSON), in honor of a $10 million gift from 1959 BC graduate and longtime University benefactor William F. 康奈尔大学.

The 康奈尔大学 School launches the Keys to Inclusive Leadership in Nursing (KILN) program, which advances equity in nursing by providing financial support, 教师指导, and networking opportunities to more than 60 学生 each year.

CSON establishes the biannual Pinnacle Lecture Series to bring distinguished nurses and nurse researchers to campus.

After nearly six decades in Cushing Hall, the 康奈尔大学 School moves down the hill into a new home in 马宏升大厅. 

CSON welcomes the first cohort of 学生 to the Doctor of Nursing Practice 程序.

As COVID-19 sends the nation into lockdown, 教师, 学生, and alumni work overtime to staff overburdened hospitals and clinics and keep the BC community safe. At the peak of the PPE shortage, CSON donates equipment from its own labs to local health care centers. 

The 康奈尔大学 School of Nursing celebrates 75 years of educating nurse leaders.